MINNETONKA, Minn. — Disclaimer: I'm not going to shock the world here by saying Bettendorf point guard D.J. Carton is an elite prospect. He's a four-star, top-30 guy right now. There's a good chance he's in five-star, top-25 territory by his senior year.

Before this past weekend, I last saw Carton in November — a 55-33 win over Cedar Rapids Washington in which he recorded 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Wisconsin assistant basketball coach Joe Krabbenhoft and Minnesota assistant Ed Conroy were there.

Carton was already a major Midwest recruit then, but he's definitely improved his game in the six months since.

Highlights from D.J. Carton’s final game of the second live period in Minnesota.
The Des Moines Register

Transition wizard

Carton is the exact kind of player you want orchestrating things in transition.

He's always looking to push, push, push, and strike while the defense is on its heels. He usually does that either by firing off an accurate, long-range missile to a teammate on the perimeter, or weaving through defenders to attack the basket himself (or drive-and-kick to an open teammate).

Lots of prospects try to push it in transition — that's nothing new. But Carton's unique blend of break-neck speed, court vision and pinpoint accuracy make him highly efficient at running the show in a fast break.

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D.J. Carton showed off his defense in the first of two games on Saturday in Minnesota.
The Des Moines Register

Elite defender, always

It's fun to watch Carton finish among the trees at the rim. It's fun to watch him set up his teammates for success. It's fun to watch him grow into a more vocal leader.

But it's the most fun to watch this guy play defense. He's high intensity, all the time.

Here's the thing: He's stronger than many guards he defends, he's quick enough to stay with the smaller ones, he's long enough to stay in front of rangy guards or some small forwards, and he's got the vertical explosiveness to be a shot-blocker. When you combine that agility, strength, explosiveness and length, you get a point guard who's going to be able to defend most other guards in the country.

One example stood out the most last weekend; it's the third clip in the video just above this section...

Carton is matched against the shifty, smaller Donyae McCaskill, a mid-major prospect out of St. Louis. McCaskill tries to drive past Carton on his right, but Carton is just too laterally quick. He stays in front of McCaskill and eventually forces a jump ball.

Ability to take over a game

Carton is a selfless player. He'll gladly take 10 assists over 10 points. He makes an effort to set his teammates up for success, especially early on in games as his guys establish a rhythm.

But make no mistake: Carton can take over a game if he wants to or needs to.

He showcased that ability in two games, in particular, last weekend.

In his first game Saturday, Carton scored nine of his 17 points in the final two minutes to help his team claw back in a 70-66 loss, attacking the basket at will and sinking his free throws.

On Sunday, in his final game of the weekend, Carton iced a 48-45 win with aggressive drives and consistent trips to the free throw line.

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Watch highlights from D.J. Carton’s first day of the second live period in Minnesota.
The Des Moines Register

Pinpoint accuracy on drive-and-kick

The court vision really comes into play with Carton's drive-and-kick accuracy. It's clearly one of his favorite plays to make, and he's darn effective with it.

You'll see several examples in highlight videos where Carton uses a quick burst to drive the lane before finding a teammate for an open corner 3-pointer.

He's able to get his teammates so many open outside shots because defenses have to respect his ability to score inside. His crisp dribbling, acceleration and nearly 40-inch vertical make him a threat to score at any point in isolation. So, nine times out of 10, Carton will draw a second defender when he attacks the basket.

Then, with impressive consistency, he's able to swing a pass across his body to his teammate's chest in the open corner.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.